Jane Lynch will be leaving 'Funny Girl,' but is 'so glad' her former 'Glee' co-star will be joining the production.
Jane Lynch has nothing but love for Lea Michele. The 61-year-old actress spoke to Deadline on Tuesday about recent news that Michele had been cast as Beanie Feldstein's replacement as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl.
“We have been in touch about it,” Lynch said before addressing her own departure from Funny Girl as Fanny's mother, Rose Brice, and her replacement Tovah Feldshuh. “You know, it was just a really strong idea to have Feldshuh and Lea premiere together. That’s the only reason [we won’t appear together.]"
"I adore her," Lynch added of Michele, whom she starred alongside on Glee from 2009 to 2015. "She’s just going to take this show and make it her own. I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on Glee."
News that Michele is set to replace Feldstein and Feldshuh to take Lynch's place came on Monday. The 35-year-old actress gushed over the opportunity on Instagram later that day.
"A dream come true is an understatement," Michele wrote. "I’m so incredibly honored to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway. See you September 6th."
Feldshuh also took to Instagram, writing, "Thrilled to be with the brilliant deserving Lea Michele in this new journey!"
Feldstein announced her departure from the show in an Instagram post on July 10.
"Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honor," she wrote. "Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated."
"I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew," she continued. "The people I have had the great joy of bringing Funny Girl to life with every night, both on and off the stage, are all remarkably talented and exceptional humans and I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after I depart on July 31st."
The role of Fanny Brice was first brought to life by Barbra Streisand in the original installment of Funny Girl which premiered on Broadway in 1964.
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